The present invention relates to: a method for preparing a puffed grain food product by mixing a puffable low expansion grain with a puffable high expansion grain; and a puffed grain food product. The puffable low expansion grain has a flavoring agent, a coloring agent or combination thereof absorbed therein. The grain mixture is placed in a mold wherein the mixture is puffed to produce a puffed grain food product.
Grain cake products and methods for producing them are well known in the art. Examples of such grain cake products include rice cakes, corn cakes and popcorn cakes. These grain cake products are typically formed by expanding a mixture of puffable or expandable edible ingredients in an enclosed chamber thereby forming the edible ingredients into a shape that corresponds to the shape of the cavity formed by the chamber. The mixture of edible ingredients is typically expanded by being heated under pressure, followed by rapid pressure release.
In a typical process commonly known as grain puffing, a pre-measured quantity of grain is fed onto the top of a heated piston. The piston and edible ingredients are then advanced by a hydraulic cylinder into a heated female mold to create a small, hermetically sealed chamber enclosing the cereal grains. Heat and superatmospheric pressure in the chamber is suddenly released by rapidly retracting the hydraulic cylinder. The suddenly depressurized chamber is not, however, sufficiently opened to release the edible ingredients. Rather, the hydraulic cylinder is retained in a substantially closed but vented position. As the pressure is released, the edible ingredients expand to substantially fill the chamber, and while still in a plastic state, the individual grains bond together to form a grain cake or wafer. The hydraulic piston is then fully retracted to open the chamber, and the formed cake is mechanically ejected. The heating also acts to cook the edible ingredients. Puffing technology is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,180 to Wu.
One issue concerning such grain cake products is their appearance. Grain cake products often have an unremarkable appearance, usually due to the fact that they are prepared from grains. One way to improve the appearance of grain cake products is to color them, for example, by applying a color coating to their surface.
An additional concern regarding puffed grain cake products is that they have little or no flavor. Flavored versions of grain food products or cakes have been introduced into the marketplace to address this concern. Examples of such flavored grain cakes include butter flavored, caramel flavored, cheese flavored, peanut butter flavored and chocolate flavored grain cakes. Flavor and/or coloring for these products is applied as a coating to the exterior or outer surface of the already-formed puffed grain product. A need exists for a puffed grain cake product having flavor and/or color distributed within and/or throughout the entire mass or volume of the puffed grain product or cake.
The high degree of expansion exhibited by the grains currently used in the puffing process adversely affects these grains"" ability to absorb liquid flavor or color coatings. When current high expansion grains are coated with flavor or coating compositions and subsequently exposed to the heat, pressure and rapid expansion conditions of the puffing process, most, if not all, of the coating composition is expelled from the individual grain pieces.
An added complication arises when these flavor and/or color coating compositions contain heat sensitive edible ingredients. Upon expulsion from the high expansion grains during the grain cake formation process, these coatings impart burnt flavors and off odors to the final grain cake food product. Expelled coloring and flavoring compositions also create production problems as the expelled coating compositions consolidate upon production machinery. This increases production downtime as the production machinery requires more frequent cleaning.
Utilizing grains with higher absorption characteristics is not a viable solution. These grains typically demonstrate poor taste, texture and mouthfeel properties after puffing and formation into a grain cake. Such traits make high absorption grain cakes unappealing to consumers. A need therefore exists for a method of preparing a puffed grain food product, and the resulting product, having flavoring and/or coloring incorporated within and/or throughout the mass or body of the puffed grain product or cake.
The present invention provides a method of making a puffed grain food product having the desired flavoring or color distributed throughout the mass or body of the puffed grain product. The method comprises the steps of mixing puffable or expandable relatively high expansion grain pieces with puffable or expandable relatively low expansion grain pieces or grain-based material. Absorbed into the puffable low expansion grain pieces is a desired additive, such as a flavoring agent, a coloring agent, or a mixture thereof. The mixture of grain pieces is placed in a mold and puffed to form an edible puffed grain food product. The resulting product made by this method results in a puffed grain product or cake that has the flavoring and/or coloring agent distributed within and/or throughout the mass of the resulting product.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the puffable low expansion grains are treated with a liquid absorption composition containing the flavoring agent, the coloring agent or mixtures thereof.
As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cpuffablexe2x80x9d means that the food product to be puffed can be expanded in a puffing machine.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the relatively low expansion grain exhibits an expansion ratio lower than the high expansion grain and typically in the range of about 1:1 to about 1:7 and the relatively high expansion grain exhibits a greater expansion ratio, typically in the range of about 1:7 to about 1:30.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the puffable low expansion grain pieces are pre-processed to increase their absorption capacity before contacting the absorption composition. This pre-process treatment can be selected from extruding, popping, microwaving, roasting, steaming, baking, steeping, extracting, pelleting, freeze drying, drum drying, spray drying, micronizing and combinations thereof.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the puffable low expansion grains exhibit an absorption capacity in the range of about 50% to about 150% by weight of the unabsorbed low expansion grain.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the flavoring agent is selected from the group consisting of chocolate, butterscotch, any spice flavor, vanilla, any fruit flavor, caramel, nut flavors, beef, poultry, pork or seafood flavors; dairy flavors such as butter and cheese; any vegetable flavor and combinations thereof.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the coloring agent is as desired and may be of botanical, animal, mineral or synthetic nature, for example, FDandC Blue No. 1, FDandC Blue No.2, FDandC Green No.3, FDandC Red No.3, FDandC Red No.40, FDandC Yellow No.5, FDandC Yellow No.6, Orange B, Citrus Red No.2, annatto extract, b-apo-8xe2x80x2-carotenal, beta-carotene, beet powder, canthaxanthin, caramel color, carrot oil, cochineal extract, cottonseed flour, ferrous gluconate, fruit juice, grape color extract, paprika, riboflavin, saffron, titanium dioxide, turmeric, vegetable juice and combinations thereof.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the puffable grain mixture may comprise between 5% to 25% by weight puffable low expansion grain.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the puffed grain food product is in the shape of a cake.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, a puffed grain food product is provided that is prepared by a method comprising the steps of mixing puffable relatively high expansion grain pieces with puffable relatively low expansion grain pieces. Absorbed into the puffable low expansion grain pieces is a desired additive, such as a flavoring agent, a coloring agent, or a mixture thereof. This mixture is placed in a mold and puffed to form the edible puffed grain food product.